Salsify Scorzonera hispanica L.
Tragopodon porrifolius (Haferwurz)

An old almost forgotten root vegetable. Cultivation and marketing as for salsify. Sweet aromatic flavour. In England it is known as Vegetable Oyster. Very decorative, purple flowers in the second year.

Salsify comes from south east Europe and northern Africa. These plants of the sunflower/goatsbeard family have been referred to more than 2000 years ago in Roman and Greek literature. Records of their cultivation in Europe only appear from the 16th and 17th centuries onward. In the 19th century salsify or vegetable oyster was increasingly displaced by the black rooted scorzonera which has similar culinary attributes.
Its latin name is Scorzonera hispanica. While Scorzonera refers to its external black rind, hispanica indicates its Spanish origin. Scorzonera or black salsify was an acknowledged medicinal plant during the Middle Ages.
Salsify was referred to in popular folklore as 'poor man's asparagus'. This would however relate more to its content of Asparagine and the manner of its preparation. Although its taste makes it a precious root vegetable it has very little in common with asparagus.